Archie: As mentioned by other I think you can treat these two as very different guitars mainly due to the width of the sound box. A falcon is a almost twice as deep body wise as a 335 or variants. A White Falcon falls into the "archtop" or "jazz box" category where as The Gibson construction is similar to a true arch top but I would call this guitar a "thin line".

Having owned both I can only say I only own one now, which is the Falcon. That's not because there's anything wrong with the 335. I played a 335 for many years as my primary guitar as it's incredibly flexible. However in recent years I've become much more insistent on using guitars that are more specific in their sound and more targeted toward certain genres or styles. So my stage guitars now consist of a Les Paul, a Strat, and a Falcon. The Falcon isn't as versatile as the 335, but can do a lot of things better than the 335. For example, finger picking and jazz. You can do those on a 335, but they won't sound as full or rich as they do on a Falcon. The same would be true for rock or blues. The 335 can do them, but not nearly as well as the Les Paul or Strat.

I guess it all comes down to how picky are you about having an authentic sound for certain types of genres....

The 335 is less prone to feedback and has the better upper fret access. The 335 has a more familiar control layout and is more comfortable to play.

The Falcon has the better sound, the better look and, while more difficult, is somehow more fun to play.

If I could only have one electric, I would probably go with the 335 (that upper fret access is important for me). It can do rock, blues and jazz with aplomb - as Eric Clapton, B.B. King and Larry Carlton, et al. have demonstrated.

On the other hand...

Assuming, for the moment, that I can have more than one electric and that there are more than two models of guitar from which to choose, then it's the Falcon hands down. There are guitars that do what the 335 does, better than the 335 does it (my PRS DGT leaps to mind). Nothing, in my experience, out-Falcons a Falcon.

I owned a 330 but never owned a Falcon, so I can't tell.
But, as per body shape, construction and width, I'd probably compare a 335 to a Country Gent with holes. Although pickups have nothing in common.
Maybe a Country Gent with P90 could sound similar to my old 330.

I have owned both and still own the 335. The 335 is more versitile than the Falcon for me it is more comfortable to play. The Falcon is great guitar but really comparing these two is like comparing a Les Paul to a Strat.

I've played ES-335's, 345's and 355's for years. My main touring guitar when I was playing blues in Chicago was an ES-335 but the falcon is a completely different guitar. My gretsch Panther that I play now I feel is a much better 335 style guitar and I wish I had the Panther back in those days

Would a gretsch white falcon **** all over a es -335 or similar Gibson ?

Click to expand...

Both have the same set of strings (10-52 Ernie Ball) and a tremolo. Both play remarkably well.

I know that my 1980 ES335 is somewhat different from the ones of today : coil split, tar-back "super humbucking" pickups fitted with ceramic (AFAIK) magnets, three maple laminations neck...

I also know that my G6119LH is smaller than the White Falcon and do not have the trestle bracing but a simple post under the bridge between top and back.

Here's what I can say :

- The 335 is 24"3/4 and the 6119 is 25"1/2 like the WF : bends are a bit easier on the 335, notes separation is a bit better on the 6119.

-The sound is different. The ES335 is more "melliflue" than the 6119, but conversely to the current 335, she's rather bright, I think. The 6119 is more "percussive" but can also sound very warm.

- The feeling is different : the 335 is 1"3/4 thin but weights 4.2kg and the 6119 is 2"1/2 thick but weights 3.6kg. Both are 16" wide. The upper fret access is better on the 335, but is nonetheless good on the 6119.

- The 335 doesn't howl at all, no matter the gain or the volume : tar-impregnated PUs, center block construction. But she can nicely harmonically feedback and sustain the notes. Conversely, the 6119 can't follow : if you're close to your amp and the volume is set high, you will experience howling and wolf tones, even if the gain is moderate.

- The controls are 2V + 2T on the 335 and 1MV + 2PUV + 1MT on the 6119, and this later arrangement is much better to my taste, particularly the MV. I even rewired my Hagstrom Viking in that configuration, but OK, I wouldn't touch my 335 : you easily guess why...

To sum up, I'd say that the ES335 is a more versatile guitar than the G6119 - or by extent - a White Falcon, simply because the center block construction of the ES335 allow hi-gain / hi-volume situations that IMHO a Gretsch TR or WF can't handle as best as the 335, due to their hollowbody construction, more prone to howling.

That drives me to say that with a 335, you can "cover more or less" what a WF or a TR can do, but the opposite is less true.